Exchangeable revolver cylinder and cartridge indexing device



ug- 25, 1954 D. L. KATZ ETAL 3,145,495

EXCHANGEABLE REVOLVER CYLINDER AND CARTRIDGE INDEXING 'DEVICE Filed July6, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 25, 1964 D. KATz ETAL 3,145,495

EXCEANGEABLE REVOLVER CYLINDER AND CARTRIDGE INDEXING DEVICE Fil'ed July6, 1962 2 Sheets-'Sheet 2 @pap gba. fjwwf EXCHANGEABLE REVQLVER CYLINDERAND CARTRlDGE INEEXING DEVCE David L Katz, Longmeadow, and Cyril A.Moore, Springfield, Mass., assignors to the United States of America asrepresented by the Secretary of the Army Filed `lluly 6, 1962, Ser. No.208,148

4 Claims. (Cl. 42-59) (Granted under Title 35, ELS. Code (1952), sec.266) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by orfor the Government for governmental purposes without the payment to usof any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to magazine-type lirearms and more particularlyto the magazines therefor which are of revolver type.

It is one object of this invention to provide for those firearms havingrevolver-type magazines a chambered cylinder which, after all of thecartridges therein are red, is easily replaced with another cylindercontaining live cartridges.

It is another object of this invention to provide such a cylinder whichis rotated by spring means to successively index the chamberedcartridges at the tiring station.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an indexing devicefor such a cylinder whereby the cartridges are indexed at the tiringposition by a pawl which acts against the projectile of the cartridgewhich is positioned at the iiring position so that, when such cartridgeis tired and the projectile leaves the cylinder, the cylinder is freedto be automatically rotated under spring-bias to index the nextcartridge at the ring station.

The specific nature of the invention as Well as other objects andadvantages thereof will clearly appear from a description of a preferredembodiment as shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. l is a longitudinally cross-sectioned side view of the cylindermounted in a shoulder firearm;

FIG. 2 is a view taken along line 22 of FIG. l; and

FIG. 3 is a view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. l.

Shown in the figures is a gun 12 for firing cartridges 14 of lowpressure type, which cartridges include a case 16 with a projectile 18extending forwardly thereof. Gun 12 is provided with a receiver 28 whichhouses a triggeractuated firing mechanism including a firing pin 22.Fixedly mounted on the front end of receiver 28 is a housing 24including an essentially semicircular front end plate 26, a similar rearend plate 28, and an arcuate top plate 30.

Front end plate 26 and rear end plate 28 are provided respectively withsemicircular flanges 32 and 34 which depend integrally therefrom so asto be symmetrical thereto. A slot 36 extends upwardly in ange 32coincident with the vertical centerline of housing 24 and past thecenter thereof and a slot 38 extends similarly upward in ange 34. Abarrel 48 is fixed by coupling means 42 to front end plate 26 above slot32 so that the bore of the barrel has communication with the inside ofhousing 24.

Replaceably mounted in housing 24, as hereinafter described, is acylinder 44 provided with iive symmetrically disposed chambers 46respectively arranged for receiving a cartridge 14. Cylinder 44 isaxially bored at 46 and counterbored from the rear at 47 to receive aspindle 48 having the same diameter as bore 46 so that the cylinder isjournaled on the spindle at the front end. A cylindrical bearing S isintegrally formed on spindle 48 adjacent the rear end thereof whichbearing has a diameter similar to that of counterbore 47 so thatcylinder 44 is journaled in the bearing at the rear end. A torsional445,495 Patented Aug. 25., 1964 coil spring 52 is wound around spindle48 with the front end anchored thereto and the rear end anchored tocylinder 44. Spring 52 is wound so as to be energized when cylinder 44is rotated in a clockwise direction, (see FIG. 2).

Spindle 48 extends from cylinder 44 at opposite ends thereof and suchextending sections are squared off, as noted at S4, at the front end andat 56 at the rear end, with the sides of the squared sections having thesame dimensions as the width of slots 36 and 38. Thus, when cylinder 44is to be installed in housing 24, the squared sections 54 and 56 arerespectively inserted into the mouths of slots 36 and 38, and then thecylinder is pushed upwardly therealong. The lengths of slots 36 and 38are so designed that, when spindle 48 is in contact With the top endsthereof, the center of spindle 48 is coincident with the center ofhousing 24 and chambers 46 are successively alignable with barrel 40when cylinder 44 is rotated. Through the cooperation of squared sections54 and 56 With slots 36 and 38, spindle 48 is prevented from rotationrelative to housing 24.

Cylinder 44 is releasably held in housing 24 by a pair of spring-pressedlatches 58 and 60 which are respectively mounted to the outside faces offront end plate 26 and rear end plate 28. Latches S8 and 60 are arrangedto permit the passage of the squared sections 54 and 56 thereby, whenslid upwardly in slots 36 and 38 to the installed position, and to snapunder the squared section to hold the squared sections in the assembledposition at the ends of the slots.

Chambers 46 are respectively indexed at the ring station in alignmentwith barrel 4t) by a pawl 62 which is pivotally mounted on the outsideof top plate 30 and is arranged to contact projectile 18 of cartridge 14at the tiring station, as hereinafter described. Pawl 62 is pivotallymounted on an axle 66 disposed parallel to the center axisv of housing24 and to the left of the vertical centerline thereof (FIG. 2). Pawl 62includes an arm 68 which extends through an opening 70 in top plate 30for contact with projectile 18 of the cartridge 14 positioned at thefiring station. Contact is made with projectiles 18 through clearances72 provided through cylinder 44 at each of the chambers 46.

Opening 78 is terminated at the left end by a Wall 73 (FIG. 2) which iscontacted by arm 68 when the arm is in contact with the cartridge 14 atthe firing station to block counterclockwise displacement of cylinder44. Opening 70 is long enough so that pawl 62 is free to be displaced bycartridges 14 when cylinder 46 is rotated in a clockwise direction toload spring S2. Pawl 62 is resiliently pressed against wall 73 by aspring 74 to assure the proper indexing of cylinder 44 after spring 52is wound.

Thus, when a fresh cylinder 44 is installed in housing 24, the cylinderis rotated in a clockwise direction to wind spring 52. Gun 12 is nowready to be fired. When the trigger mechanism is triggered to dischargecartridge 14 at the firing station and projectile 18 is propelled downbarrel 40, cylinder 44 is freed to be rotated by the tension of spring52 until the projectile of the next cartridge in cylinder 44 contactsarm 68, whereby the next cartridge is indexed at the firing station.Feeding automatically takes place until all of the cartridges 14 arefired. Gun 12 is reloaded by actuation of latches 58 and 66 whichreleases the spent cylinder 44 for extraction from housing 24. Acylinder 44 with fresh cartridges 14 is then inserted into slots 36 and38 and pushed upwardly therealong until latches 58 and 60 snap undersquared sections 54 and 56 to hold the cylinder in housing 24. Cylinder44 is then rotated one and one-fourth turns in a clockwise direction toload spring 52.

From the foregoing it is clear apparent that there is provided hereinfor firearms having revolver-type magazines a quickly replaceablecylinder and a cooperating indexing device which are simple but ruggedin construction and positive in operation.

Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been described indetail herein, it is evident that many variations may be devised withinthe spirit and scope thereof and the following claims are intended toinclude such variations.

We claim:

1. The combination including a cartridge having a projectile at thefront end thereof, a firearm housing, a barrel mounted on said housingso as to extend forwardly therefrom, a cylinder rotatingly mounted insaid housing, a plurality of chambers formed in said cylinder so as torespectively receive said cartridge and so as to be successivelypositionable at a tiring station in alignment with said barrel when saidcylinder is rotated, spring means, means for Y transferring the energyin said spring toY said cylinder for rotation thereof, and a pawlarranged for contact With said cartridge when in the tiring position andfor cooperation with said spring means to automatically position thenext one of said chambers at the tiring station when said cartridge insaid chamber at the tiring station is tired.

2. The combination including a cartridge having a projectile atthe'front end thereof, a firearm housing, a barrel mounted on saidhousing so as to extend forwardly therefrom, a cylinder r'otatinglymounted in said housing, a plurality of chambers formed in said cylinderso as to respectively receive said cartridge and so as to besuccessively positionable at a firing station in alignment with saidbarrel when said cylinder is rotated, spring means, means fortransferring the energy in said spring to said cylinder for rotationthereof, a pawl pivotally mounted on the outside ot said housing on anaxle disposed parallel to the aXis of said cylinder, an arm on saidpawl, a clearance formed through said cylinder vat each of said chambersto permit contact of said arm with said projectile of said cartridge atsaid chamber at the firing station to hold said cartridge thereatagainst the bias of said spring means, an opening through said housingto permit extension of said arm therethrough into contact with saidprojectile, and an end Wall of said opening arranged for contact by saidarm to block displacement thereof by said proiectile through the bias ofsaid spring means, said opening having suicient length to permit pivotaldisplacement of said arm by contact of said projectile when saidcylinder is rotated in a direction against the bias of said spring forVthe energizing thereof. Y

3. ylhe combination as defined in claim 2 including a spindle forrotatingly supporting said cylinder, squared sections on each end ofsaid spindle arranged to extend outwardly from said cylinder, a kpair ofslots formed in said housing so as to receive said squared sections toguide said cylinder into an installed position in said housing andrestrain rotation of said spindle relative to said housing, and a pairof latches mounted on said housing for-engagement with said squaredsections to releasably retain said spindle in the installed position.

4. The combination as defined in claim 3 wherein said spring means is ofa torsional type and is coiled around said spindle with one end anchoredto said housing and the opposite end is anchored to said spindle.v

References Cited in the tile of this patent 'UNITED STATES PATENTS34,922 lDraeger c Apr. 8, 1862 1,487,722 Coenders Mar. 25, 19243,050,892 Vogler et al. Aug. 28, 1962

1. THE COMBINATION INCLUDING A CARTRIDGE HAVING A PROJECTILE AT THEFRONT END THEREOF, A FIREARM HOUSING, A BARREL MOUNTED ON SAID HOUSINGSO AS TO EXTEND FORWARDLY THEREFROM, A CYLINDER ROTATINGLY MOUNTED INSAID HOUSING, A PLURALITY OF CHAMBERS FORMED IN SAID CYLINDER SO AS TORESPECTIVELY RECEIVE SAID CARTRIDGE AND SO AS TO BE SUCCESSIVELYPOSITIONABLE AT A FIRING STATION IN ALIGNMENT WITH SAID BARREL WHEN SAIDCYLINDER IS ROTATED, SPRING MEANS, MEANS FOR TRANSFERRING THE ENERGY INSAID SPRING TO SAID CYLINDER FOR ROTATION THEREOF, AND A PAWL ARRANGEDFOR CONTACT WITH SAID CARTRIDGE WHEN IN THE FIRING POSITION AND FORCOOPERATION WITH SAID SPRING MEANS TO AUTOMATICALLY POSITION THE